It was printed at Food Lion. Somebody gave me this one.
I was hoping to buy a scanner with it.

I am pretty set on the BCD396xt, but my other choices are.... 996xt, or wait for the new scanners. (no coupon there.. but if it is worth the wait...)

Basically, I am asking if I should get the handheld or base now... or wait and get a new one.
If the new features will not help me pick up anything more in NC, then why wait?

Well, Edward, you've asked enough questions in the forums to know what you need. You've programmed a 396XT for your father-in-law and know how that works. Unless there is going to be a wholesale jump to Phase II in NC, the current scanners will work well for you. The question is, do you want portability or a base radio. Only you can answer that question. HTH,Larry

Well, Edward, you've asked enough questions in the forums to know what you need. You've programmed a 396XT for your father-in-law and know how that works. Unless there is going to be a wholesale jump to Phase II in NC, the current scanners will work well for you. The question is, do you want portability or a base radio. Only you can answer that question. HTH,Larry

Thank you for the response!!

I think I want a base.. but handheld makes more sense. One good reason is power. I almost always cut on the scanner with the power goes out.

I just can't get the new scanner out of my head. I keep thinking that the new one will be more fun to play with.. but I don't know.
I wish I knew more about Phase 2. I have read a little on it, but I don't understand it.
I think I need to move over to the NC forum and ask about that.

Edward, I can tell you that I have both the 396XT & the 996XT. Both are awesome scanners and right now, at least for my needs, I feel that they are at the top of their game when you balance out performance, functionality, user-interface & interoperability.

Both radios perform the same for the most part. Often people thing the base model has more features or will perform better. I do not find this to be the case and your experience will probably show the same.

The only down-side I see to using the 396XT is that the antenna connector could become weak over time if you are putting any kind of pressure on it. For example, if you have a heavy adapter allowing your BNC cable to plug up to the radio which is SMA. The added strain and taking it on and off could wear down the mounting of the connector over time. But this is just a guess and I have not expereienced this (yet). I cannot help you with your question of local monitoring as I live pretty far south of your QTH. I wish they had Food Lions in the Tampa Bay area....I could only imagine what kind of coupons might show up!

My recomendation for you is the 396XT.....versatility wins out in my book.

Edward, I can tell you that I have both the 396XT & the 996XT. Both are awesome scanners and right now, at least for my needs, I feel that they are at the top of their game when you balance out performance, functionality, user-interface & interoperability.

Both radios perform the same for the most part. Often people thing the base model has more features or will perform better. I do not find this to be the case and your experience will probably show the same.

The only down-side I see to using the 396XT is that the antenna connector could become weak over time if you are putting any kind of pressure on it. For example, if you have a heavy adapter allowing your BNC cable to plug up to the radio which is SMA. The added strain and taking it on and off could wear down the mounting of the connector over time. But this is just a guess and I have not expereienced this (yet). I cannot help you with your question of local monitoring as I live pretty far south of your QTH. I wish they had Food Lions in the Tampa Bay area....I could only imagine what kind of coupons might show up!

My recomendation for you is the 396XT.....versatility wins out in my book.

Good luck,
Vince

Thank you for the input!

I think I am going to stick with handheld.. not I gotta decide if I want the 396 or wait for the new one.

I am thinking I will be fine for years with the 396.. but I am not sure. I just posted on the NC forum that I doubt NC will put money toward phase 2 after all the phase 1 equipment.. but that might be a dumb thought. I tried looking into that.. to see if NC might "add" phase 2.. but I have no clue.

I think I am going to stick with handheld.. not I gotta decide if I want the 396 or wait for the new one.

I am thinking I will be fine for years with the 396.. but I am not sure. I just posted on the NC forum that I doubt NC will put money toward phase 2 after all the phase 1 equipment.. but that might be a dumb thought. I tried looking into that.. to see if NC might "add" phase 2.. but I have no clue.

You have to carry around the bulky bigger base/mobile which I hated after a while. I would have rather gotten the handheld and just got a connector to plug it in the wall when not going mobile with it. Use an external speaker.